Heroes and Villains
by Queen-of-the-Merry-Men
Summary: In a world where Issac's storybook is a reality Regina the Bandit and Robin Hood send their son away to the Land Without Magic to escape the Evil Queen's curse. What happens when 28 years later when Emma, the daughter Roland never knew had, brings him to Storybrooke claiming the town is cursed? Will he believe her?
1. Chapter 1

**Just something that's been bouncing around my head since season 4. A retelling of Season 1 with OutlawBandit and Dark Snowing. Don't know if I'll continue yet.**

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Thunder crashed in the sky above the cottage as Regina let out another scream. The queen's curse was fast approaching and there was nothing they could do about it. She felt Tinkerbell run another damp cloth over her forehead as another contraction ripped through her. She looked over at her with desperate eyes. "Tink I can't have this baby now. There's not enough time."

"Well it looks like he's not giving you much of a choice," the fairy replied sheepishly.

Regina tried to focus on her breathing when she heard her the sound of her husband's horse rapidly approaching their cottage. Seconds later he appeared in the doorway out of breath and red-faced from his journey.

An exhausted smile tugged on Regina's lips. "Robin…"

He immediately went over to the bed, grasped her hand and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's okay, my love. I found it."

Regina's eyes went wide as his words reached her ears. "You found it? The vessel?"

"Yes," he said, placing a hand on her swollen belly. "The Light One is preparing it for the journey now. Our child's safety is almost a certainty."

Long had they searched for the enchanted tree that would provide them with safe passage to the land with no magic. It was their only hope of keeping their child safe from Snow White. The evil queen was more determined than ever to destroy Regina's life. Ever since she found out that the child her nemesis carried was the key to her downfall her cruelty had tripled in her effort to capture both Regina and Robin. Her final attempt… a dark curse that would cover the entire kingdom. Said to be the most horrific and cruelest of curses it would transport them to a land where misery is all one could know.

"Well your timing could not be better," said Tink, moving to sit between Regina's legs. "It looks like your child is ready to born right now."

Regina grasped Robin's hand tighter as she looked up at him with apprehensive eyes. He nodded at her supportively. "You can do this."

She pressed her lips together and nodded in determination. "I can do this."

"Okay," said Tink. "On the count of three I want you to push as hard as you can. One… two… three…"

XXXXX

The halls of the dark castle were quiet as the queen made her way to the balcony. The sound of her heels against the stone floors were the only thing to be heard as she watched the dark clouds of the curse rise from her courtyard. With one hand on the cool balcony railing Snow White smiled deviously to herself as she watched the fruits of her labor take place. Regina would have nowhere to run now.

"Quite the destruction you've wrought."

Snow rolled her eyes and groaned at the sound of her pet's voice. She turned to find him looking at her sullenly with one hand on his sword as always.

"Must you always ruin the moment with your mouth," she snarled.

"Just paying you a compliment," said Charming striding over to her. He watched as the curse clouds began to seep their way past the castle walls. "There'll be no escape for her now."

"There'll be no escape for anyone," Snow corrected maliciously. "With this curse they'll all be subject to my wishes."

"And what do you wish for them?" he asked softly.

She turned to him with cold eyes. "Nothing but the pain that has been inflicted upon me over and over. For all of eternity they will know nothing but my misery."

Charming sighed at her. "Well unless…"

"Unless what?" she spat at him, her words sharper than daggers.

"Unless Regina's child succeeds," he answered. "The animals have been communicating throughout the forest. It seems she's already gone into labor."

Snow's grip on the balcony railing tightened as she felt her rage begin to bubble up inside her. "Has she now?"

She let out a seething breath before a calculating grin made its way onto her face. "Ready my carriage Charming. Looks like I'll be paying a visit to my sister."

XXXXX

The dark hair around Regina's face had gone damp with sweat as it stuck to her skin. Her muscles still ached but the smile on her face was bright as she stared down at the precious bundle in her arms. Her son.

A full head of hair as dark and thick as her own paired with the deep, chocolate eyes he was clearly a mirror of his mother. His father, however, had left his mark with the dimples that softly indented each side of the newborn's cheeks. Both Regina and Robin marveled at him as Tinkerbell watched them lovingly from the side of the room. She cleared her throat before stepping closer to them.

"The fairies and I made this for him. We thought it might help keep him warm on your journey," she said holding up a baby blanket. Knitted from the softest wool six letters were sewn onto the blanket's in dark green silk.

 **ROLAND**

Regina grinned happily as she wrapped it around her son, replacing the thin cloth they'd been previously using. "Thank you Tink. For everything."

"You don't have to thank me at all," she said, squeezing Regina's shoulder supportively. "I just wanted make sure that you have the chance to raise him to be the man we all need him to be."

Regina nodded her head solemnly. It was future she'd given much thought to over the past few months. She and Robin would be escaping with their child but in twenty-eight years he was prophesized to return and save their people from Snow's reign. It made her shudder to think of the weight that prophecy placed upon her son but also the responsibility it placed upon her as a parent. She and Robin would have to raise him to be a savior and she didn't quite know if she was capable of such a task. She'd never considered herself much of a hero. How could she be expected to raise one?

"Regina…"

She lifted her head at the sound of Robin's voice and found herself staring into his supportive blue eyes.

"We can do this," he said determinedly. "Together?"

"Together," she said nodding her head decisively.

Their moment was interrupted by a blinding light in the center of the room. Out of nowhere, Rumpelstiltskin, the Light One, appeared inside their small cottage, his golden armor gleaming even in the minimal light of their sparse candles. Regina stared at him in awe as she clutched Roland tighter to her chest.

Robin quickly rushed to his side. "Is it ready?"

"Yes, the vessel is just outside the village," said Rumple breathlessly. "But… I've discovered a problem."

Regina's felt her heartbeat speed up in panic. "A problem?"

The Light One nodded his head sadly. "It appears that I have previously overestimated the tree's power. I'm afraid it will only be able to transport one of you."

"Only one?" she said breathlessly. Inside she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.

"That can't be," mumbled Robin, shaking his head in disbelief. "You assured me that finding this tree would be the key to keeping my family safe! We need to get to the new land together!"

"I know but I fear time has made the vessel less powerful than it once was," argued the Light One. "It's magic has drained over the centuries. I'm sorry but it no longer holds enough magic to send you over as a group."

Thunder shook the walls of their cottage as the clouds of the curse roared ever closer. Roland began to cry out in her arms and Regina rubbed his back soothingly as tears began to fill her eyes. "We've lost," she whispered.

"No we haven't," said Robin, returning to her side. "We can still be a family together we just have to find another way."

"There is no other way Robin," she said in defeat. "Any minute now that curse will sweep across this land and carry us away with it."

Robin placed his hand against his son's head as he swallowed apprehensively. "At least we'll be together."

Regina stared down at Roland, tears running down her cheeks. Her son, the savior. Looking at him so precious and innocent in her arms, she knew he was all that mattered. _Only one…_

"No we won't be," she said in low voice. She tearfully brought her eyes up to her husband's. "Robin… we have to send him through on his own."

Robin's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

She shook her head at him. "We don't have to escape this curse but he does. The tree can still take one. I'd rather have him safe without us than in danger with all three of us together."

Robin shook his head at her as she placed their son into his arms. "Regina. No think about this. It's twenty-eight years that we will never see him."

"And twenty-eight years that she won't either!" argued Regina, alluding to the queen. "Robin you know what she'll do if she finds him. We can't let that happen."

Robin stared at his son in his arms tearfully. "He's just a baby," he whispered.

"I know," said Regina tearfully. "But we have to give him his best chance. Even if it's not with us. Robin…please."

She stared into his eyes until she saw acceptance behind them as he nodded at her tearfully. Bringing her attention back to her baby boy she gave him one last watery smile before pressing a lingering kiss to his forehead. "Goodbye Roland."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she felt Robin press a final kiss to her forehead before moving toward the cottage door with the Light One by his side. He gave her one last look as he stepped one foot outside and she nodded to him encouragingly before he ran out of sight. An agonizing sob ripped through her throat as she felt her son move further and further away from her.

XXXXX

The once peaceful village was now in chaos as Robin made his way through the shadows with his son pressed tightly against his chest. The approaching had spread fear throughout the town as everyone ran about in a panic, searching for loved ones and trying to escape. Uneasiness crept through Robin as he felt the Light One tap him on his shoulder.

He nodded in the direction north of them and Robin turned to see a dozen or so men on horses storm the village. "Black knights," he whispered.

Rumple nodded his head in agreement. "I'll hold them off. Just get to the tree. It's in the forest on the southeast edge of the village. I left my shield beside it as a marker. Go now!"

He ran towards the chaos his hands glowing with light as he defended the townsfolk from the queen's men. Robin watched his fight before turning away and running toward the forest. Maybe it was fate or maybe it was just the pull of the magic but it didn't take him long to find the tree that would send his son to safety. It was thicker than most of the trees around, it's bark was darker and full of cracks. Just as the Light One said his shield lay against it in almost a protective manner.

Robin laid a hand against the tree's bark searching for an entry way. He found one easily pulling back the bark like a door to reveal the tree's hollow center. To his surprise and relief, he could feel warmth radiating from it. All the better for his son's journey.

From behind his back he could hear the soft sound of approaching horses. Probably black knights searching through the forest. He couldn't afford to waste time. As gently as he could he placed his son inside the tree.

As soon as he left his father's arms Roland began to cry out and Robin quickly pressed a kiss to his forehead. "One day you'll find us," he promised.

With the heaviest heart in the world, he gave his son one last look before replacing the bark as he'd found it.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

He barely had time to turn before an arrow flew past his head. Black knights.

He picked up the Light One's shield and blocked another arrow before it landed in his chest. Not even taking the time to pick a certain direction he ran as fast as he could, hoping to put as much distance between him and the tree as possible.

He didn't make it very far before an arrow pierced him in the chest. The last thing he saw as he collapsed to the forest floor were curse clouds was magic glowing from the tree where he'd just placed his son.

XXXXX

Snow peered out her carriage window as she made her way toward the pitiful village where Regina had chosen to hide out. The clouds from her curse were advancing from all sides and a part of her hoped they would delay until she had the satisfaction of seeing the look on Regina's face as she took everything away from her.

Her carriage came to a halt and she stepped out with smirk on her face as one of her black knights kneeled at her feet. "Did you find her?" she purred.

"We did your majesty."

She looked over to see Regina being pulled out of a small cottage by two knights. Her cheeks were stained with tears as she struggled to get out of their grasp before being thrown at Snow's feet.

"Well look who's glowing," taunted Snow with a grin.

Regina swallowed the sobs that were threatening to erupt from her throat as she stared up at her. "Just do it then."

Snow arched an eyebrow at her. "I'm sorry?"

"Just kill me!" snarled Regina desperately. "It's what you've always wanted so just get it over with!"

Snow just chuckled cruelly at her. "And why would I get rid of you now Regina?" She leaned down conspiratorially to whisper, "Things are just about to get interesting."

Regina just stared up at her with exhaustion in her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

Snow glared down at her, the playfulness gone from her demeanor and growled, "Because it is what you deserve."

She tore her eyes away from Regina and turned to her nearest black knight. "Where is the child?"

The man hesitated before answering her. "We don't know your majesty."

She advanced upon him, her voice deathly low. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"We found the bandit and her lover but the child was nowhere in sight," explained the knight apprehensively. "He seems to have disappeared."

"He got away," said Regina, a disbelieving smile growing on her face. "My son escaped."

Snow scowled at Regina her rage burning behind her eyes. "For now he has."

But her words didn't dampen Regina's hope. She looked up at Snow with faith and determination. "You're going to lose."

"Not today, I'm not," snarled Snow, her hands shaking with anger. The ground began to rumble as the curse clouds surrounded them from all sides. Snow watched them come with a grin. "Today I am the victor."

Her manic giggles were the last thing Regina heard as the curse clouds overtook her.

XXXXX

 **28 YEARS LATER**

" _Why do they always run?"_

Roland Hawkins made his way down the sidewalk, his arms slicing the air and his feet stomping against the pavement, as he ran after his latest perp, a twenty-year-old thug who got his rocks off by stealing credit card info from seniors. He had to admit, after three years as a detective this was still his favorite part of the job. Chasing down bad guys.

His perp rounded the corner with Roland right on his tail before being slammed in the chest and knocked to the ground by the leather clad arm of his partner, John.

As the perp lay on the ground groaning in pain, John sent Roland a smirk. "I keep telling you buddy you got to learn to use your back streets."

Roland just returned his smirk breathlessly. "But if I did that I'd never get to exercise."

XXXXX

If you had told 15-year-old Roland Hawkins that he would be a cop he would've laughed in your face. But now after eight years working for the Boston PD Roland could say that he'd finally found his calling. The paperwork was a bitch but putting away bad guys never got old. He watched from, behind a two-way mirror, as Johnny grilled their latest perp hoping to get a signed confession for his crimes. A knock on the door caused him to turn his head, and he saw Helen, the office secretary, poke her head inside the room.

"Not interrupting am I?" she said nervously.

Roland shrugged his shoulders at her. "Not on this side of the glass."

She entered the room fully and crossed her arms as she joined him staring through the two-way mirror. "You think he'll crack?"

"Looks like it," mumbled Roland. "But it doesn't really matter. The evidence stacked against him damning enough to get a conviction from any jury."

"So what I'm hearing," said Helen. "Is that there's no reason for you to stick around here and you can instead spend your evening possibly celebrating?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Helen…"

"It's your birthday Roland," she said. "Do you really want to work through it?"

"I don't care," he insisted. "I've had much worse birthdays than this I can promise you that."

Roland had never really been fond of celebrating his birthday. It was hard to get excited about a day where your parents left you on the side of the road and never came back. With the exception of his twenty-first, he preferred to watch it come and go without much fanfare.

Helen just narrowed his eyes at him. "Fine. If you're so determined to work, there's a girl at your desk who's been asking for you. Think it might be a new case."

"A girl?" asked Roland, curiously. "Is she cute?"

Helen smirked at him deviously. "Absolutely adorable."

He narrowed his eyes at her before leaving the room. As he made his way back into the precinct's main bullpen he quickly spotted his desk. Sitting in the chair next to it was a young blonde girl with black rimmed glasses and a ponytail. She couldn't have been more than ten-years-old.

Roland chuckled under his breath. "Absolutely adorable."

He sighed before making his way over to his desk and clearing his throat at her. "Can I help you sweetheart?"

She looked up at him with a smile. "Are you Roland Hawkins?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"My name is Emma Blanchard," she said. "I'm your daughter."

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 **Please read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Just felt a little inspired by this story again.**_

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You know those moments where your life is suddenly changed forever? Where the world stops moving and you just know that one chapter in your story has ended and a new one has begun? Well Roland was having one of those moments right now. Staring down into this little girl's bright green eyes he felt everything in his world go off kilter. In his gut he knew that after this moment nothing would be the same for him. So he did the only reasonable thing he could. He pretended it wasn't happening.

"My daughter?" he chuckled down at her. He crossed his arms with a smirk. "Nice try kid but I don't have a daughter."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you have a baby with a girl in high school? That was me."

Her words wiped the smirk right off his face. The ground beneath his feet became unsteady as his knees went weak. _No… it couldn't be…_

Roland swallowed hard as Emma continued to stare up at him. God standing in her gaze was like sitting under an interrogation light. He raised a finger in her direction and choked out, "Wait here, one second."

He turned to rush away when he heard her call out, "But I'm thirsty!"

He stuttered over his shoulder, "There are water bottles in the fridge under my desk. Just stay there!"

Emma rolled her eyes as she rounded his desk. He gave her one last look before marching back to the interrogation room. He banged on the door like a madman and ten seconds later John opened it with an annoyed expression on his face.

"I am two minutes away from a signed confession. This better be good Hawkins."

Roland ignored his greeting and gripped his shoulder, roughly pulling him out of the interrogation room. "Are you pranking me John?"

John sent him a bewildered look and shoved away his hand. "What?"

"For my birthday?" clarified Roland. "Are you messing with me? If you are you better tell me."

"I hadn't planned on it," growled John. "But I'm certainly feeling the urge right now."

He narrowed his eyes at his partner suspiciously. "What's wrong with you?"

Roland ran his hands over his face with a low groan. "I think I might have a kid," he whispered.

John's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"There's a girl at my desk, says she's my daughter."

Without a word John rounded the corner and snuck a look over at Roland's desk. He saw Emma rummaging beneath it, her blond ponytail bouncing over her shoulder as she triumphantly pulled up a water bottle.

He turned back to Roland and shook his head. "Okay… this was not me."

"You're sure?"

John rolled his eyes. "Yes I'm sure I didn't arrange for a little girl to come to the precinct and claim you're her father," he deadpanned.

Roland let out a breath as he began pace the hall like a caged lion. "This cannot be real!" he hissed.

"What are the chances that it is?" asked John. "Girl looks about ten years old. Any old flames come to mind?"

"Just one," whispered Roland, pausing his footsteps. "When I was in high school there was this girl. Things got real serious real fast between us."

"I bet," said John with a smirk.

Roland rolled his eyes before continuing. "She got pregnant when we were together. I wanted to stay with her but I got sent to juvie. One day I got a letter from her telling me she lost the baby. I never heard from her after that."

He felt his throat grow tighter as he ripped the old memories from the back of his mind. He hadn't thought about that time in his life for years. Or at least he'd like to pretend he hadn't.

John nodded his head, the detective gears in his brain already working together a plausible theory. "So…do you think she lied?"

"I don't know. It's not impossible," said Roland shaking his head. He snuck another look at Emma and tilted his head curiously. "She does kind of…look like her. Around the eyes and the nose."

"Well she doesn't exactly take after you," mumbled John. He sighed as he leaned against the wall. "Honestly… seems like there is a 50/50 chance that this could be real."

Roland clenched his jaw as he stared back at his desk. Emma was sipping on a water bottle while lazily spinning around in his swivel chair. God, she could be his daughter.

"Look," sighed John. "You're not gonna get any answers in this hallway. So I suggest you do what you are trained to do and ask some questions."

He clapped Roland on the shoulder before returning to the interrogation room. Roland sighed as watched Emma from the hallway. She'd impressively finished off her water bottle and pulled a large book out of her backpack. She didn't exactly look like him. Her hair was blonde; her eyes were green. A far cry from his own brown eyes and dark hair. Perhaps she wasn't his and this was all just a misunderstanding. He almost would've been able to convince himself of it… if Emma hadn't chosen that particular moment to smile. His heart skipped a beat as she showed her deep, unmistakable dimples. Same as the ones he saw every day in the mirror.

He shut his eyes trying to block everything out. "Damn…"

Taking a moment to gather his courage he finally made his way back to the desk. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he lowered himself into the plastic chair across from where she sat. "So… you're my daughter?"

"Yep," said Emma, popping the last letter. She barely looked up from her book as she spoke to him.

Unsure how to continue Roland just asked the next question that was on his mind. "Where's your mother?"

Emma finally tore her eyes away from the book, looked up to him and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I was adopted when I was a baby."

Her answer hit him like a ton of bricks and he leaned forward in his seat. "She gave you up?" _Without telling me? How could she do that?_

Ten different emotions swirled up in his gut and he couldn't even settle on one. Instead he turned to Emma. "How did you find me?"

She shut her book and shrugged her shoulders once more. "It's not important."

Roland scoffed at her.

"What is important is that I found you," continued Emma. "And now that I need you to do something for me."

Roland felt his heart clench at her words. What could she want from him? "What do you need?"

"I need for you to take me home," she stated.

"And where is home?"

"Storybrooke, Maine."

Roland narrowed his eyes at her. "Storybrooke? Really?"

Emma nodded her head.

Roland sighed. "Okay kid because I am currently working a late night shift and won't be done for hours why don't you just give me your parent's number so they can come and pick you up themselves."

"No I want you to take me," Emma demanded.

"Well… I can't," argued Roland. "So give me the number."

"No," Emma replied flatly.

Roland took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at her. She was stubborn. Great.

He leaned forward in his seat. "Alright kid. You might think you're playing a good game but I'm guessing I've been playing it a lot longer than you have. Because I know when a kid refuses to let me call their parents it's because their parents probably have no idea where they are."

He saw Emma press her lips together nervously and he knew he had her. "I'm guessing you made this little trip without their permission and by now they've probably noticed that you've gone missing. Meaning I don't need you to give me the number. I can just look up the amber alert that I'm so sure they've issued and report your whereabouts myself."

He reached for his phone and Emma stood to her feet. "You dial one number and I will run out of here into the street!" she threatened. "I'll get lost and no one will ever find me again."

Panic rose up in Roland's chest and it took everything he had to make sure it didn't show up on his face. It was a worthy threat. She was good but he was better. "If you run out of here I will chase you."

"But you won't catch me," sang Emma shaking her head. "I'm the fastest kid in my class. You'll never keep up with me."

She sat back down with a smug smile on her face. Her dimples flashed once more and Roland felt his chest go tight once again. He leaned over and placed both hands on the edge of his desk. "Okay… say you do run out of here and disappear? What makes you think I'd care?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at him daringly. "Because police officers are good people. And good people care what happens to little kids."

Roland closed his eyes with an annoyed sigh. _Damn._ "Get your coat."

XXXXXX

Roland had experienced a lot of horrible birthdays. Ones where no one remembered. Ones where he didn't have enough to eat or a place to sleep at night. So he had to admit taking a three-hour drive with the daughter he never knew to the small town where she lived with her adoptive parents didn't even break the top ten. However, that didn't mean that it wasn't awkward.

Roland had managed to convince his captain to give him the rest of the night off, not hard considering it was his birthday. What was difficult was the dead silence that filled the car during the trip. Despite how adamant she was that he drive her home Emma had hardly spoken two words to him since they'd left Boston. Instead she'd kept her eyes lock her down on that old book of fairytales in her lap.

"What's with the book?" he asked curiously.

Emma eyes flickered up to him. "I'm not sure you're ready to know."

He arched an eyebrow in her direction. "About fairytales?"

"They're not just fairytales," replied Emma firmly. "They actually happened."

"You think your fairytales are real?" he asked incredulously. He shook his head with a sigh. "Oh kid… you've got problems."

"All the stories in this book are true," said Emma heatedly. "And you should start believing in them."

"Oh yeah?" drawled Roland. "Why?"

"Because… you're in the book too."

XXXXXXX

It was half past nine by the time they rolled into town. Roland had to admit he was a bit surprised when he drove past the green sign with STORYBROOKE painted in white block letters on the side. He was half expecting for the town to be something Emma made up to gain more of his time and attention but the town was real. Nestled a few miles north of some old forest campgrounds, the lights of the town practically popped up like magic. It was a small place. According to the town sign the population was barely more than a couple thousand citizens.

Roland supposed in most circles it would be considered charming. As he drove through town in his forest green El Camino he could see old shops and houses. A few outdated businesses as well. Seriously, who needs a candlestick maker in this day and age?

He blew out a tired breath. "Alright kid, where's your house?"

"It's 2100 not-telling-you street," Emma replied smoothly.

Roland growled under his breath as her pulled the car up to the nearest curb. He turned to Emma with a scowl. "You don't me very well kid but I should tell you I don't have a lot of patience. Now you've used up most of it with this road trip so I don't have much left for any more nonsense."

He climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut. "Emma I need to take you home and I need to do it fast seeing as how it's already…" – his eyes scrunched up at the town clock tower – "… eight-fifteen?"

Emma climbed out of the car and stood beside him. "That clock hasn't moved in years. Time is frozen in Storybrooke."

Roland tiredly shook his head at her. "I'm sure it just feels that way because you're bored."

"No it doesn't," claimed Emma. "Nothing ever changes in this town except me. Everyone's cursed but that's all gonna change now that you're here."

He tilted his head at her curiously, unsure how to respond. Luckily he didn't have to.

"Emma?"

They both turned to see a tall brunette woman in a waitress's uniform rushing toward them. Her green eyes were filled with worry leaned down to speak with Emma. "Where have you been? The whole town's been looking for you!" She suddenly noticed Roland and narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you?"

Roland's jaw drop as he struggled to answer her. "I…"

"He's my dad," Emma swiftly answered.

Roland felt his heart skip a beat at the new title she'd just attached to him. Dad? He wasn't quite sure he fit the bill on that.

"I'm Officer Hawkins with the Boston PD," he said, flashing his badge to the woman. "I'm just trying to make sure Emma gets home safe."

"Oh! Well I'm Ruby Lucas," she said sending him an awkward wave. "Um… Emma's parents, her adoptive ones, live on Mifflin Street. The big white house. You can't miss it."

"Ruby!" Emma's eyes went wide with shock as Ruby revealed the location of her home.

"Don't look at me like that!" she responded briskly. "Your little disappearance has put the whole town in a panic. Everyone hears about it when the Mayor's kid goes missing."

"You're the mayor's kid?" said Roland, raising an eyebrow in Emma's direction. She only crossed her arms and pouted in response. He sighed. This was just what he needed.

He gratefully nodded his head at Ruby. "Thank you. We should be going."

"No problem," said Ruby. "Thank you for making sure got back okay." She turned to Emma with a frown. "And no more running away."

Emma just nodded her head with a frown. Ruby left them then and Roland watched her go with a tilted head. "She doesn't look so cursed to me."

"That's because she doesn't know it," claimed Emma exasperatedly. "No one knows. We're the only ones."

"Okay," drawled Roland, gripping her shoulders and guiding her back toward the car. "That's enough curse talk for one night. C'mon I'm taking you home."

XXXXXXX

Emma complained the whole ride to Mifflin Street.

"Please don't take me back in there," she begged.

"I have to," argued Roland, pushing open the iron gate in her yard. Emma and her parents lived in one of the nicest houses Roland had ever seen. White with four columns surrounding the porch it was certainly fancier than any of the places he'd lived growing up. Despite all of this he'd practically had to drag Emma out of the car when they'd pulled up. "C'mon kid. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"No they're not!" she said sullenly looking at the ground. "They don't love me. They only pretend to."

For the fifth time that day Roland felt his heart clench at Emma's words. He leaned down to look her in the eyes. "Listen… Emma…"

He wasn't quite sure what he was going to say next but he'd hoped it would've been something to make her feel better. In the end he didn't say anything all because he was cut off by the sound of front door swinging open. "Emma!"

Her turned to see a petite woman in a black business dress standing in the doorway. Her short pixie cut hair fluttered in the wind as she ran down the walkway in her sharp heels and threw her arms around Emma. Relief colored her face as she held her tight completely oblivious to Roland's presence. After taking a deep breath she pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Where have you been? Your father and I have been so worried!"

"I found my real dad!" spat Emma shaking off her touch and running past her into the house.

The woman remained rooted in place as Emma footsteps faded behind her. Slowly she brought her gaze up to Roland, confusion and worry still present in her eyes as she took him in. "You're Emma's biological father?" she whispered.

Roland awkwardly shrugged his shoulders at her. "Hi."

* * *

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